Ram-wing boats of this type have been know for some time. For example, in West German Auslegeschrifts 1 756 013 and 2 303 972, inherently stable aerodynamic ground-effect vehicles based on the tandem-wing principle are described in which the front foil surface is mainly loaded in the lifting sense by the ram air in the aerodynamic ground-effect, while the rear foil surface, as a flight-mechanical control unit which has little dependence on the ground effect, stabilizes the hovering height of the vehicle. The conditions imposed on the foil surfaces of tandem-ram-wing vehicles during the phase of flairing necessitate a differentiated profile configuration and relative disposition of the wings. Thus, West German Auslegeschrift 1 756 013 describes a tandem ground-effect vehicle in which the front foil surface is formed as a parallel chord wing with end plates and the rear foil surface formed as a delta wing spreading out in swept-back manner in the direction of the longitudinal axis of the vehicle.
In West German Auslegeschrift 2 303 972, the foil surfaces are constructed as parallel chord wings separated by a distance of approximately one-half the airfoil section thickness. The profiles of these airfoils are configured in accordance with the lifting or stabilizing requirement predominant for that wing, such that the front airfoil is loaded mainly in the lifting sense from the higher pressure side and the rear airfoil, in contrast, is loaded mainly from the lower pressure or suction side.
From West German Offenlegungsschrift 3 931 020 a ram-wing boat is known in which specially configured foil surface or airfoils are provided. These airfoils are configured as hollow bodies segmented into compartments with fixed or variable intermediate bulkheads. They are ailettes, which are disposed in tandem on both sides of the boat hull. The outside surface of the front and rear ailettes on both sides are in each case connected with each other by a flat end plate, the contour of which corresponds essentially to the line of the boat defined by the airfoils. Spilling of air from the pressure side to the suction side during flairing is prevented or retarded by such end plates. This effect leads to reduction of the induced drag and thus generates an important part of the good near-ground flight efficiency of the airfoils.
Ram-wing vehicles incorporating these principles and embodiments have proved excellent in practical testing. However, although the main focus of interest in the previous research and development of ground-effect vehicles was naturally on the phase of flairing, problems remained unsolved, particularly as they related to the maneuverability in the flairing of the turning flight, to the floating stability, to the static stability in rough seas and to the safety against entrained fuel.
The object of the invention is to so configure the end plates that they contribute to improving the properties of the ram-wing boat, and more precisely those during flairing of the turning flight plus the stability as well as the safety.
This object is achieved by an end plate of the type initially mentioned in that each end plate is configured as a hollow body, which consists of an upper chord, a lower chord and side planking which is reinforced by ribs disposed at a distance form each other in the interior of the hollow space.
Useful further embodiments of the end plate according to the invention are characterized in the subclaims.
The advantages of a so configured end plate are diverse, and contribute significantly to desired properties of a ram-wing boat. By the flat end plates, disposed on both sides, which connect the front and rear ailettes with each other and the contours of which are correspondingly configured, the spilling of air, during flairing, from the pressure side, i.e., the profile underside, to the suction side, i.e., the profile top side, is prevented or retarded. This leads to reduction of the induced drag and thereby contributes to an appreciable portion of the good nearground flight efficiency of the airfoils.
However, the special design of the end plate according to the invention also fulfills further important functions. By the static assemblage of upper and lower chord, planking and ribs, the ram-wing boat is made more seaworthy and safer even in heavy seas. As hollow bodies, the end plates provide for trimaran action to impart more floating buoyancy and floating stability, and therewith additional safety, to the vehicle. The partly or completely watertight zones of the end plate can, when partitioned by bulkheads, also be used as fuel tanks. They are far removed from the hull of the cabin and from the engine room so as to offer additional safety during refuelling, in the event of leaks, and a static load reduction of the airfoil structure. A better distribution of the weight is also possible thereby. A further advantage of the end plates configured according to the invention is that fuel bladders can be installed in the zones which are only partly watertight. Because of the flotation of such bladders during water-displacement travel, for example in the harbor and during berthing, it is guaranteed that even the last fuel traces will be removed and conveyed by the fuel pumps to the engine. The converging upper and lower chords provide the ram-wing boat with a maneuverability which is favorable in particular during turning flight.
It has been found that, especially when the angle between the lower chord and the horizontal is 28.degree. to 35.degree., preferably 30.degree., extremely tight turns can be flaired without danger, without the occurrence of the feared swinging around toward the inside curves. This is important most of all in rough seas. The construction also permits landing on the water with side wind, without excessive acceleration forces being caused. Because the zone of the lower chord of both end plates at the bow of the boat is sloped slightly upward in the travel direction, improved sliding conditions are achieved and additional hydrodynamic lifting forces are created during take-off from the water. It is also possible therewith to run safely onto ground, for example sand and gravel. Even during landing on water a slow continuous immersion occurs because this lower edge is sloped upward in the bow direction and, in combination with the outwardly directed slopes of the lower chord, the change from the airborne to the waterborne operation is harmonized.
The invention is explained in more detail by means of an exemplary embodiment illustrated in the drawings.